


From the Start

by ARHH



Category: Boruto: Naruto Next Generations, Naruto
Genre: Angst, Angst and Romance, F/M, Family Drama, Fluff and Angst, Forbidden Love, Forgiveness, Friendship, Friendship/Love, Ino-Shika-Cho Formation (Naruto), Internal Conflict, Jealousy, Relationship Issues, Romance, Team 10
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-02-14
Updated: 2021-02-18
Packaged: 2021-03-14 17:40:28
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 6
Words: 6,338
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29422470
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ARHH/pseuds/ARHH
Summary: "I had never seen Ino so at ease around anyone like she was with him. Shikamaru it astounded me even more, it was like he finally had finished his puzzle and he was complete. I've never seen either of the more content than they were with each other."It had always been them, right from the beginning.Major Shikaino/Inoshika side Shikatema and Inosai
Relationships: Nara Shikamaru/Temari, Nara Shikamaru/Yamanaka Ino, Sai/Yamanaka Ino
Comments: 1
Kudos: 15





	1. Just For Now

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Disclaimer: This is merely written for the enjoyment of the author and readers and is in no way associated with the creators or producers of Naruto, no copyright infringement is intended.

Temari POV

* * *

There was nothing about the pain in her heart that was fair. Temari was never much of an empathetic person, though she was not as apathetic as Gaara had once been she still was never the most empathetic person out there. However, now looking into the eyes of her boyfriend’s teammate and her closest female friend. She couldn’t help but feel bad for the girl. There was a broken heart there that she hadn't noticed before, such a stark contrast from what seemed to be the invincible girl Ino always portrayed herself as that it startled her. It was almost as if the cracks were visible through her eyes. Cracks not just a part of her heart but in her soul. Something had broken the Yamanaka girl’s heart, something or someone had cut her deep. 

Although she had to give the girl credit as well. She hid it well day in and day out. All the times she had seen the girl before or talked to her she had never noticed this deep brokenness. It only occurred to her once she looked eye to eye with the girl, something she surprisingly had never done before. Even after all the time they had spared together or sat and had a meal with her boyfriend’s team. Thinking back on it now she realized she had never once looked the girl in the eye before. 

But as fast as it had happened Ino had looked away, averting her eyes like she usually did to try to hide it once again. Probably praying Temari hadn’t noticed, but she did. Just in that split second, she noticed because it was a look she had seen another try to hide as well. Not herself, no. Her boyfriend. Shikamaru Nara, genius strategist of Konohagakure, head of the Nara clan, and newly appointed right hand to the Hokage. It was a familiar look, the sad haunted eyes. 

In the beginning, she had never noticed. Laziness had always been a part of her boyfriend. He was calm, calculating, never in much of a rush to do anything unless it was work-related. But then they began dating and as one usually does she began to see more sides of her boyfriend than just his working persona. Then she began to notice. Small things, shot moments of sadness he carried. It had been a few months into their relationship when she began to take notice.

_ They were all gathered at the restaurant for dinner. Something that didn't occur often, many of them now had jobs that took most of their time. The village was mostly rebuilt but there was still always work to be done. Naruto was well on his way to becoming Hokage, Sakura was now head medic at the hospital, Ino was being groomed to become head of the information and interrogation team. _

_ She had arrived a few minutes late as she had to report to the Hokage before coming. She was here for work after all. So she slipped into the empty seat beside Sakura, smiling as she was greeted by some. Scanning the table she searched for her boyfriend. _

_Ah, there he was._ _Sitting between his two former teammates, silently observing Ino. It was something she had seen him do many times before but something about his gaze nagged at her. There was something sad about it. As if he were reminiscing bittersweet memories. Then he turned as if sensing her eyes on him._

_ It wasn't anything grand and it had only lasted a brief moment but when their eyes met something in his made her pause. There was this flash of anguish in his eyes.  _

Seeing that look in Ino’s eyes as well now had only confirmed what she had already known. They had broken each other’s hearts and by the looks of it, it wasn't something either of them had desired. Her curiosity and need to know was getting the best of her though so she went to the next and probably the only other person who could give her the full story. Choji Achimichi.

_ Letting out a sigh he looked at her, his eyes unsure. _

_ “Are you one hundred percent sure you want to know about them? In this way? Shikamaru is your boyfriend after all…” She was anticipating that she hadn’t known Choji very long but she already knew he tried to only tell people about things that he knew would hurt them on a need to know basis. One of the many ways he tried to protect people in his own special way. _

_ “I’m sure.” She had made up her mind though. Part of her had always known Shikamaru wasn’t hers from the beginning. She knew he had tried to fake it best he could, to show her that he had only wanted her but she saw the tiny details. The moments when his mind would wander and his heart would ache so badly it was visible through his actions. He had always been a man of action over words. _

_ “Very well, I guess you do have somewhat of a right to know. They were together for a while before you two started dating. They'd kept it a secret for a few years and then out in the open for a few months and they were in love. God, they were very much in love and it made so much sense.” Taking a breath he paused watching her, observing trying to gauge her reaction but she didn’t look angry, she didn’t cry and say it was unfair no. She just stayed silent looking, waiting for him to continue. “Their lives had been intertwined from the beginning. Everyone knew it. Now I’m not talking about something like how the Ino-Shika-Cho clans are intersected. Yes, we were all connected in some way from the beginning but Ino and Shikamaru. Their connection was different. There was the obvious stuff like how they were born a few hours apart or how they lived side by side, or how they always subconsciously seem to seek each other out. As time had passed and we got older I noticed small things about them. Now I don’t know if they ever realized I knew way before they actually told me but they had let me in on their secret a few months after they had started going out. I had never seen Ino so at ease around anyone like she was with him, never caring about her looks or her weight when she was with him. When she did complain there were always other people around so I knew it was for an image. With Shikamaru it astounded me even more. It was like he finally had finished his puzzle and he was complete. He was genuinely relaxed, his mind wasn’t wandering anywhere but with her in those moments. He paid attention to every word she said even if it wasn’t obvious. Overall I just had never seen either of them so content. So at peace than when they were with each other.” The gravity of his words made so many things fall into place. Shikamaru was restless these days. It always seemed as if he was searching for more. Even if he was just laying on the roof watching the clouds he seemed worn out. In the beginning, she had just chalked it up to the new workload but something told her there was more to it. _

_ “Then came the day they finally let it out in the open. My father was furious. It’s been a rule since the formation of Ino-Shika-Cho. Love, romantic love between any of the three heads is strictly forbidden as the next generation had to come to pass. They fought, and they fought, but even for them, the rules would not change. So they split and I believe you know the rest.” _

She had known the rest. She didn’t need to hear about how it had shattered their very souls, torn out pieces of them that would only ever partially heal until the day came when they could be with each other. It had always been visible, but now the pieces finally came together. She had never resented either of them for it. They were soul mates. Somehow she had always known she was only borrowing. He was never truly hers from the beginning and she was ok with that.


	2. Her Keeper

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Disclaimer: This is merely written for the enjoyment of the author and readers and is in no way associated with the creators or producers of Naruto, no copyright infringement is intended.

Sai POV

* * *

Now Sai like his “sister-in-law” Temari had come to somewhat the same understanding. He had never been good with emotions. Over the years, however, he had done a lot of learning. Much of which had come from his newly married wife and head of their clan Ino Yamanaka. Unlike Temari his knowledge of his wife’s bond with her old teammate had not been long-standing, nor was it instantaneous. 

At the time he had very recently learned many emotions and came to understand how a person’s behavior doesn’t always portray their true feelings. 

_ It was getting later in the day when he'd come to find Ino. He thought maybe they could spend some time with her since he knew they were both in the village when he had noticed the first clue. He had found her on a hill with Shikamaru. They were both lying in the grass side by side. Now, this. he knew was customary for Shikamaru but it was the first time he'd seen his wife partake. They appeared to be watching the clouds and just relaxing, something he knew his wife didn't often get the chance to do. As he approached them h _ e  _ couldn't help but take notice of the small touches. The way their hands sat in the grass just barely touching, their heads near each other, and the peaceful sadness that seem to linger between them even though both people had smiles gracing their features.  _

At the time he thought nothing of it and merely made a mental note, curious to learn more about that behavior. When he asked Ino about it later simply out of curiosity. She merely smiled at him and said.  _ “Sorry Babe, can’t help you there. I don’t know what you're talking about.”  _

Nevertheless, as time went on he observed more. He began to see how his wife would always try to hide a longing that flooded her eyes whenever September 23 rolled around. The way she would instinctively reach for Shikamaru when they would go out to eat with the Nara and Akimichi. He saw the way the Nara man would seek out his wife’s gaze whenever he believed no one to be looking. The man had always been prone to “getting lost in thought." Or so he used to believe, now he saw. It was but not really because it was simply his own way of hiding the heartache in his eyes when he couldn’t take it anymore.

Sure he was jealous, at least he used to be once he came to this conclusion. But it wasn’t just those two he studied. He observed and took notes on everyone's actions. Everyone close to the two of them. Temari, Choji, Sakura, and that was what ultimately influenced him the most. They all saw it but never said anything or did anything. They simply let the two be. So one day he asked Temari because;  _ there was no way she doesn't feel the same as he did. _ She probably thinks the same things. 

_How could her, in her case, boyfriend love another other than herself?_ _That just wasn't right…_ Her answer shed a whole new light, a new concept he had never had a lesson on.

“Sai. Ino does love you. Just in a different way, we will always be their second loves. Maybe even their third if children ever become part of the mix of either family. I know you’ve seen it. How they interact, how in sync they are. How it’s like they complete each other that’s because that’s just how it’s meant to be." She turned toward him, eyes scanning his face. "We were never part of the plan Sai. It was supposed to be them, but life got in the way.” 

He was still somewhat confused. All she had just told him was that; was his wife was never meant to be his wife… sighing the edge of her lip curved upward.

“Oh, I don’t know how Ino teaches you these things! I suppose to put it simply, you’ll never be able to fill the void you see in her heart Sai. The only person that could ever do that is Shikamaru and obviously, that just isn’t possible right now. So the best thing you can do for her is to love her. Hold her, and just be there for her. Let her do her best to keep herself together because that’s what she needs right now. So either you can accept it or fight it but my suggestion," she sounded sad. Sad but there was something else in her tone, understanding. 

"Just let it be, even if we both tried to fight it there's nothing we or anyone could ever do to change the bond those two have.”

He had spent night after night pondering Temari’s words. Ino was on a mission so he was on his own. Then after two weeks, when she returned he found himself understanding Temari’s words. So he welcomed his wife home with open arms. Looking out the window he watched as his beloved wife made her way toward their home. He felt no pain nor did he feel anger or jealousy toward his coworker. Fate had given her to Shikamaru from the beginning and she to him. He was simply keeping her safe until he could reach for her again. So if he was to be her keeper, safe he would keep her.


	3. The Disease Called Heartbreak

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Disclaimer: This is merely written for the enjoyment of the author and readers and is in no way associated with the creators or producers of Naruto, no copyright infringement is intended.

Inojin POV

* * *

Inojin was twelve years old when he first noticed. Nothing major had happened but it was the small things he started to notice. In the academy, they had been learning about the importance of being observant of your surroundings at all times. Now obviously their instructor had meant on missions and things, but Sadara had been talking about how it was a good idea just to get in the habit of it. He had agreed. So from then on, he had started observing. Being more careful about watching his surroundings. This also meant watching the people around him and just what was going on around him at all times, including at home. 

His parents had never been crazy about PDA, and boy was he glad for that. But something bothered him. He couldn’t remember their soft touches and quick pecks on the lips ever seeming so… half-hearted. His father seemed the same as always. He had never been the most emotional person but that was what had made him fit so well with his mother. Apparently, according to his Aunt Temari and Uncle Choji he used to be even more emotionless, which he couldn’t even imagine… 

His Mother’s behavior was what raised his curiosity. She always seemed to be hiding something. She hadn’t precisely done anything strange, she hadn’t been crying or staring off into space, but somehow there now seemed to be the smallest air of sadness lingering around her at all times. One that oddly enough always seemed to become slightly more prominent whenever his Uncle Shikamaru was involved. 

They had all three families of the legendary trio at his house for dinner when he had overheard them. He hadn’t meant to be eavesdropping! He was by no means the smartest kid around, definitely not when it came to emotions. Sadly it seems he had inherited some of his father’s lack of understanding of human behavior… But he wasn’t that bad either. How could he be with such an expressive Mom? 

_ Maybe his Uncle had done something to his Mom? _

That didn’t sound right though, Uncle Shikamaru always said yes to whatever his Mom asked, no matter how much he grumbled about it.

_ “I suppose to put it simply, you’ll never be able to fill the void you see in her heart Sai. The only person that could ever do that is Shikamaru and obviously, that’s just isn’t possible right now,” _

Void in her heart? The only one who can fix it is Uncle Shikamaru? What did his Aunt mean? None of it made sense to him, why was Uncle Shikamaru the only one who could fill the void? Weren’t Dad and him enough?

Only years later would his questions get answered. He had gotten better at reading human behavior since then. Ever since that day he'd decided he couldn’t just watch his parents. This involved all the other adults too. 

The more he watched the more he saw, the small matching bits of jealousy that lingered in his Father’s and Aunt’s eyes every time his Uncle and Mom would be together. The slightly stiff way all members of the Nara family interacted. The way Shikadai would have the smallest traces of longing in his eyes whenever he saw Ino spending time or doting on her son but would never breathe a word about it. There were a lot of hidden secrets between these three families. 

His family was always happy. His Mom still seemed mostly happy and his Dad, well. He was happy, he loved both his wife and his son he was just not always the best at expressing it but overall they were happy. Unfortunately, it seemed like that wasn’t the case for Shikadai. It seemed Aunt Temari was restless. He saw how she was growing weary, how she was hurting, how the Nara family no longer seemed to hold much love at all.

It all seemed to be tied together in one way or another. Both his Aunt and his Dad were hurting. They loved these two people infinitely but they had, had never, could never receive the same love in return. It was as if their lovers were never theirs, to begin with. As if they were on borrowed time and it seemed like everyone knew it. Uncle Choji always had pity in his eyes when he looked at Dad or Aunt Temari and now he finally understood why.

Of course, he had known. He had been the ever silent observer all along, he'd grown up with Uncle Shikamaru and Mom. Uncle Choji always seems to carry everyone else’s secrets too. He always seems to see everything, like how Inojin had begun to notice his Mom’s pain at the young age of twelve. 

_ He wasn't stupid. He had noticed all the silent glances his Uncle Choji had been giving him all throughout dinner. He only held his gaze for a moment but his eyes. The look in his eyes, it was that look. The all-knowing one, the one that always said, "I'm here if you want to ask." _

_ But he couldn't bring himself to do it. This was something he had to figure out. Besides, what was he even supposed to ask? _

So Inojin had merely shook his head at his Uncle. Shrugging off his Uncle's silent question. Then as time went on he uncovered more. 

He had come to understand it was never just about Uncle Shikamaru and his Mom. Everyone was affected by it. Everyone saw it, knew about it but no one ever uttered a word about it. Even Uncle Choji felt guilty for some reason, it always showed through his actions. How he always told the boys they were welcome anytime despite the fact that they had hardly spent any time with his daughter in their younger years, silently giving Shikadai a place to run to whenever he needed.

Heartbreak was like a disease. It starts with two people in a bad situation and it spreads quickly. It could jump with one look, one conversation. It only took another to fall in love with the infected and suddenly it infected them too and there’s nothing either can do about it because love always kept them tethered to one another. It breeds jealousy and pain, but it also breeds understanding, it forces those infected to take a step back and look at the whole picture. Heartbreak is never pretty but it teaches a very important lesson to all infected and even those simply observing like himself or his Uncle Choji.

Things won't always work out how we want them to or how they should have. You may fall in love with those you can’t have but no matter what the world keeps going and sometimes there’s nothing you can do but try your best to pick up the pieces of your heart and keep moving with it. But fate will always favor the original story. 


	4. The Original Story

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Disclaimer: This is merely written for the enjoyment of the author and readers and is in no way associated with the creators or producers of Naruto, no copyright infringement is intended.

Shikadai POV

* * *

Shikadai definitely had his father’s brain. That much he knew, he was analytical, he could pass the academy classes in his sleep. He wasn’t your average kid but sometimes he couldn’t help but wish he was. When he was young home was everything it should be. It was warm, comforting, welcoming. His mom was never the most coddling mother out there but he never minded, that’s how she was but she was never cold either. No that hadn’t started until he was around four or maybe she had always been that way and she had just hidden it better. His parent's interactions had become brief and tense.

Something had happened to his father a long time ago, something that had made him always seem to have an air of bitterness more often than not, like he was mad at the world. He still loved him though. He was often busy being the Hokage’s main advisor and was seldomly home but when he was sometimes he’d play shogi with him or they’d go cloud watching together. He treasured those memories because that was when the bitterness would slightly fade and maybe the odd time his father would crack one of his small smirks. The only time he could recall seeing his father truly at peace was when his Aunt Ino was around. Even then, there was always a hidden sadness that seemed to linger. He had asked Uncle Choji once.

_ "What could have possibly made my father like that?" _

_ “People will always want what they can’t have Shikadai and if you were to somehow get what you had always wanted more than anything in the world only to have it ripped right out of your hands one day in an instant wouldn’t you be kind of bitter too?” _

That was the only response he had received but being the observant kid he was he couldn’t help but notice the slight sadness in his Uncle’s eyes or the way they had drifted down the table to when his Aunt Ino and father had been quietly conversing at the other end of the table when he had said this.

His mother too he had noticed was not happy a lot of the time. She was always kind to him but she was bitter too and even more so when his father would come home and then disappear again to the roof or the backyard to cloud watch. She was easily agitated, but she hadn’t always been that way. He had tried to remember a time before, a time when she wasn't so on edge and then had realized it had started when he was very young. He couldn't pinpoint exactly when it began but he could remember a time when she always had a warm smile and comforting aura. Now that felt like a lifetime ago. Now she was always stern and seemed to take more and more frequent trips to Sunagakure like she was running from something.

It didn’t seem to just be a problem between his parents though. He noticed it whenever the three families would get together. It was always easier to see connections when everyone was in one place. His father’s gaze always seemed to linger on his Aunt Ino whenever he seemed to think so one was looking and her eyes always seemed sadder somehow whenever his mother would be with his father. The more he watched her the more he saw his Aunt in a whole new light. Nowadays she always seems to do a slight double-take when she saw him, or there was always a more prominent gleam of sadness in her big blue eyes when she looked him in the eye. 

It had been on one particular afternoon when he was around seven that all the pieces had finally made sense to him. His father had made a rare appearance at the flower shop. Something about a message for his Aunt from the Hokage.

_ He'd been standing silently in the hallway waiting for Inojin. They were supposed to go to the park. Then he heard his father's voice. Curiosity got the best of him and so he crept, peeking around the corner, and watched them and that’s when he saw it.  _

_ How his Aunt’s hands reached for his father’s hair and his father’s own hand had reached for her cheek and his fingers so softly brushed over her face. It was the softest look he had ever seen on either of their faces and the touches of a lover.  _

Then it all began to make sense, why his father always seemed bitter at the world or why his mother was running. She was trying to get away, away from the heartache, the heartache that her husband was never really hers, that she was merely borrowing him for an unspecified amount of time. His heart had already belonged to someone else and that someone else was his Aunt Ino. 

He had his mother’s eyes, that’s why his Aunt always seemed to hurt when she saw them. She had always wished they would be her eyes not his mother’s.

When he had come home that night the moon already rising he found his mother was gone. Probably back to Sunagakure. But his father, seeing his father had made his heartbreak all over again. He was laying in their backyard looking up at the night sky and he had looked broken,

_ “If you were to somehow get what you had always wanted more than anything only to have it ripped right out of your hands one day in an instant wouldn’t you be kind of bitter too?” _

  
  


To this day years later he was never told the full story but he didn’t need to be. He had enough information to make a pretty good guess. His father and his Aunt were probably together long before he was even a thought but then something must have split them causing this chain of events. Causing all the heartache, the more he thought about it the more it made sense. They were practically made for each other, like yin and yang. Such opposites, he was calm and lazy and she was loud and bossy but together they made perfect sense. Then he thought about his mother and Uncle Sai, it was almost sad how similar they were to his father and Aunt. In the end, his father had picked a woman that resembles her. His mother, a strong, independent, bossy woman, and his Aunt had picked a man that was quiet, strong, and calm like his father. They learned to love them, probably over time but it would never be true love. They were only stand-ins, substitutes because no matter how harsh that sounded it was the truth. In the end, they were only borrowing them for an unspecified amount of time.


	5. It Shouldn't Have Ended Like This...

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Disclaimer: This is merely written for the enjoyment of the author and readers and is in no way associated with the creators or producers of Naruto, no copyright infringement is intended.

Shikamaru’s POV

* * *

Shikamaru never showed much emotion. He didn’t like to run around telling everyone about his life and he didn’t like to spend a lot of time wallowing in sadness either. Except for tonight as he lay alone on his favorite hill for the first time in a while he thought maybe it was time he let himself. 

He had been lying to himself every minute of every day for the past sixteen years. The love of his life wants Temari no Sabaku. It was Ino Yamanaka.

He remembered when he had come to that conclusion, sighing he tilted his head to watch the setting sun. 

That felt like a lifetime ago… He was six when he fell for her. Now he understood that but of course, all he knew was that she was troublesome but he cared about her. A lot. He had started having these weird feelings whenever she would smile at him or hug him. He may have been just the tender age of six but his genius mind was already hard at work and by the time they became genin he had realized that just maybe he had a tiny crush on his first friend. His feelings hadn’t gone away in all that time either but had grown stronger. By his first week on team ten his feelings had only become even more apparent when he had to come in closer contact with her, the first time he held her body during training he felt this overwhelming protectiveness. 

Great, just another thing to add to the long list of troublesome things Ino makes me feel… and with that he had his conclusion. He, Shikamaru Nara was in love with loud, bossy, troublesome, Ino Yamanaka.

Years went by with him continuing to love her from the shadows. He thought he had no chance, why would such a beautiful, popular girl like her want a boring, lazy guy like him? But he was wrong, so wrong.

_ He had been walking home from the Hokage tower. Turning the corner he paused surprised. Ino was stumbling down the street obviously drunk.  _

_ Probably came from the party at Naruto’s.  _

_ He could hear the faint sounds of music from a few streets over. It was Sakura’s birthday and Naruto had decided to throw a party, he had been invited but had been sent on a mission a few days prior and had just got back. _

_ “Ino,” He couldn’t very well leave her there… Ino was not weak but her house was still a few streets away, besides he was going that way being her neighbor and all. _

_ “Shi, Shika. Your back!” Nearly tripping over her own feet she reached for him, moving quickly he looped his arm around her trying to stabilize her. “I missed youu. You want. Want to know a secret?” Looking down at her his heart thumped in his chest. Her big blue eyes were staring straight at him, her hair falling out of its usual ponytail. She looked like a mess but that never did matter to him. _

_ “I’m in love with you!” That froze him on the spot, she loved him? No, she was just drunk. She probably didn’t even know what she was saying. Trying his best to keep his feelings in check he shifted her so he could carry her home. _

That night he didn’t sleep. No matter how much he tried to reason with himself he couldn’t brush off her words. She loved him! The logical part of his brain knew she probably didn’t actually mean it but she had given him hope…

They hadn’t spoken about it, she seemed to be avoiding him. She’d smile and wave but then take off always saying she was needed to the shop or the hospital. She remembered… he didn’t think she’d have any memory of that night but she did…

Then it happened. He had been laying in his usual spot on the grassy hill when she found him. She just came and sat beside him without speaking a word. He waited, she would talk when she was ready she always did in the end.

_ “About the other night… I’m sorry.” Sitting up he looked at her, why on earth would she be apologizing? _

_ “Um I just, I wanted to say that it’s true… What I said. I love you Shika and I get it if,” So it was true! He had never felt more excited in his life. _

_ “Sh, Ino I’m going to cut you off there, no need for that. I uh,” Feeling sheepish all of a sudden he looked down. “I feel the same, I mean I. I love you too.” _

The best days of his life started that day. They were together in secret for a while, it was nice to just keep it to themselves for a while. Surprisingly, it had been a unanimous decision from both parties, but then they decided not to keep it a secret. Choza had found out and he was happy for them, that they were happy but then he broke them with the worst news of their life. They couldn’t be together, they were to be the next clan heads and the Ino-Shika-Cho must continue into the next generation. It was their duty… They fought and fought but the rule had been in place for decades, there was nothing they could do.

It was no secret that his marriage ended up far from perfect. He knew there wasn’t much love in their house, he kept to himself most of the time and his wife missed her home. It was full of flaws and it had been from the start. He just tried to deny them, turning a blind eye, and kept believing everything would work out. It never would though, not with the love and effort it was lacking. It wasn’t that his wife wasn’t necessarily unhappy he guessed. She'd made many friends over the years and she had built herself a new home in Konohagakure but she still missed Sunagakure and she knew. It was plain as day to him how much she actually knew. She had never actually breathed a word about it but her actions told him all he needed to know. 

She knew that he cared about her, loved her even but he had never been in love with her. She was trying to find her own happiness and so she split her time more. She traveled back and forth to Sunagakure more frequently now that Shikadai was older and spent more time out of the house, just like she was right now. Thus leaving his son without a mother a large portion of the time to a father who kept to himself and hardly around. He was a mess, he turned out to be an awful father and an even worse husband.

No. He could have been better, he just had the wrong partner, the wrong spouse, the wrong woman, the wrong ending.


	6. Just Not In This Lifetime

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Disclaimer: This is merely written for the enjoyment of the author and readers and is in no way associated with the creators or producers of Naruto, no copyright infringement is intended.

Ino POV

* * *

Maybe in another lifetime, she could have had him. Maybe in another lifetime, Shikadai’s eyes could have been the baby blues that stared her back in the mirror, maybe in another lifetime Inojin and Shikadai would have been brothers by blood and not just family ties. 

He had always been by her side for as long as she could remember. He had been born only a few hours before her, they grew up side by side, literally. They went to the academy together, they'd been on the same team so naturally, they became good friends. They learned about each other inside and out and soon enough that friendship turned into love. But that was a lifetime ago… Now they were both married to other people and the Ino-Shika-Cho bond lived to see another generation because after all, that was what mattered most… At least that’s what everyone said but she knew in her heart, it wasn’t what she believed.

There was nothing she could do about it anymore though, looking down at the flowers she was putting together for her order she felt her heartache. They fought it, they fought tooth and nail but even with Shika’s intelligence and all her scheming they still came up empty-handed. No one won with heartbreak, he was married to Temari and she to Sai but no one was truly happy. The Nara household held very little love, it was a broken home but they were not Temari and Shikamaru. As far as anyone could tell she and Sai are happily married, in love even. But she was an actress and Sai… He knew, he understood in his own way, he had known for a long time that she loved him. She truly did in her own way but she was not in love with him.

Sometimes she felt guilty for being with Sai. He signed up for a loving marriage not a relationship of mutual understanding, not for a wife whose heart had never and would never be his own. She felt guilty because she was using him, he was her stand-in, just a placeholder for another. 

_“Shika? Now what, I can't, I don’t want to do this! How am I supposed to love another, I love you and you alone.” Tucking her head in the crook of her boyfri-, well now ex-boyfriend's neck she let the tears fall. How could they do this! It wasn’t fair…_

_“Hey. look,” feeling his gaze on her she lifted her head to look him in the eyes, her heart broke even more. He was crying… Shikamaru Nara never cried. “I’m not going to lie to you. It’s going to be hard but you know I’ll always be there for you. No matter what I’ll be by your side just like I’ve always been.” Tucking her head back in his chest she felt his tears on her neck and his arms tighten around her, this wasn’t how it was supposed to be…_

She was supposed to marry the love of her life, she was supposed to grow old with her best friend and lover. Since she was a little girl she believed true love conquers all but then reality came crashing in, ruining everything. Sometimes no matter how fate has written things they just do not come to pass because this, even her twelve-year-old son could tell this was just not the right ending.

**Author's Note:**

> Disclaimer: This is merely written for the enjoyment of the author and readers and is in no way associated with the creators or producers of Naruto, no copyright infringement is intended.


End file.
